site.btaCC-DB: Controlled Vote in October 27 Elections Expected at 10%

Speaking to reporters here on Thursday, Nikolay Denkov of Continue the Change – Democratic Bulgaria (CC-DB) said that they expect around 10% of the vote in the October 27 snap parliamentary elections to have been controlled. Denkov’s statement was made in response to President Rumen Radev's call for the Interior Ministry and the caretaker government to convincingly address concerns about vote buying.

Denkov said that he fully supports this call. "I was in Shumen yesterday, where I heard some shocking stories about what has happened. Nothing of the kind has ever happened before, and I do not mean just vote-buying but also controlled voting, pressing mayors, and buying off section election commissions. These kinds of things may have happened before, but never on this scale," he noted, adding that they are currently making an assessment of the extent of the issue.

Regarding a possible annulment of the elections, Denkov said that only the Constitutional Court has the authority to do so, and only if there are serious enough grounds. He added that "the Interior Ministry is the investigating body, so we have to wait and see what they will uncover".

"We must not turn a blind eye. This is not only scandalous but also dangerous for democracy in Bulgaria. Elections are at the core of democracy, and without fair elections, there is no democracy," he noted.

As to the CC-DB’s call for a "sanitary cordon" around the Movement for Rights and Freedoms – New Beginning coalition and its chair Delyan Peevski, Denkov noted that Radostin Vasilev, leader of the MECh (Morality, Unity, Honour) party, had said that he would support it. "We expect the Alliance for Rights and Freedoms to support it because they are affected by what is happening," Denkov added.

He said that it remains unclear what GERB leader Boyko Borissov will do. In Denkov’s words, Borissov is trying his best to dodge the question. "The most important question now is whether Borissov will go down the dictatorship path alongside Peevski or will distance himself from Peevski, and Bulgaria will keep its European and democratic course. This is where we stand today, and the answer to this question is in the hands of Borissov and GERB", Denkov said.

Denkov added that he will be an MP from Sofia's 25th constituency.